UPDATE: The winner is…bn100!
*~*~*

Let me tell you a little secret…

Plot bunnies—affectionately named because of how fast the little suckers multiply—are persistent bitey jerks that burrow into a writer’s brain and attempt to take over their mind at the expense of jobs, dentist appointments, and laundry—which is fine, because who needs laundry. *wink*

These evil plot bunnies wake me from a dead sleep to scribble illegibly in a little notebook I keep on my nightstand, leaving me to interpret my drowsy jotting in the morning like I’m staring at Rorschach inkblots. Hey, Stephenie Meyer dreamed up sparkly Edward Cullen one night, inspiring the bestselling Twilight Saga, so it’s not totally off-base to get a good one once in a while.

To be fair, it’s not just paid writing that works this way, since I’ve had the same experience with fan fiction ideas; fic that demands it be written right now. Have a sandwich for dinner, family—I’ve got writing to do!

Once a plot bunny has its fangs in you, it’s all over until you give in to its demands like it’s a bank robber with all the leverage.

Plot Bunny: “Hey. Hey. Hey. You know that thing you’re working on right now?”

Author: *guzzles coffee* “You mean the novel I’m finishing because I’m on deadline?”

PB: “Throw that in the trash. I got something for ya. You’re gonna love it.”

A: *groans* “Not again.”

PB: *cracks knuckles* “So, there’s these two hot guys, only one bed in the whole hotel, and wouldn’t you know it, there’s a blizzard…”

This was my experience last year when I got my weekly email with freebies from a stock photo site. I opened it and scanned the selection—probably the usual “woman laughing while eating a salad”.

But one picture caught my eye: two women side-by-side in a yoga studio, doing a stretch that looked like cobra or upward dog. Nothing out of the ordinary, but something about it…

Hmm…I’d never written a story set in a yoga studio. Maybe they’re friends?

Wait. Friends or not, they’re totally gonna get with each other if they haven’t already, if you know what I mean.

*CHOMP*

The plot bunny grinned, it’s teeth glistening with the fresh idea. I had no choice—I needed to write this now now now now now!

The opening line hit me hard: The first time it happened was between my legs in downward dog.

Oh yeah, I wanted to see where this was going. So, I sat my butt in the chair and feverishly typed while overloading on caffeine and ignoring my eye twitch. Words flowed like a vinyasa, and when it was finished, I knew it would be perfect for an anthology submission.

My evil plot bunny…um…story, Third Time’s the Charm, is in Cleis Press’s Big Book of Orgasms Volume 2: 69 Sexy Stories, available on February 8, 2022.

To celebrate the Big Book of Orgasms Volume 2 release, I’m giving away an ebook of another anthology I was lucky to be a part of last year, Passionate Ink’s Falling Hard: Erotic Romance Anthology. If you haven’t read it, grab it now, since it’s only available for a limited time. All proceeds go to ProLiteracy, too! My story in Falling Hard is Hard Cider Crush, a gay second chance romance full of all the autumn charm of New England and more heat than July in Florida.

Enter below to win an Amazon ebook copy of Falling Hard—U.S. only, 18+. Giveaway will last from February 9^th—11^th and a random entrant will be drawn on February 12^th to win and receive a copy. (Delilah Devlin isn’t associated with this giveaway.)

Question: Tell me about the best book you’ve read recently in one sentence. Or tell me where you’d love to see a romance set!

About the Author

Ryley Banks writes award-winning bestselling sexy romance between the covers, mostly of the LGBTQ+ variety. She’s a connoisseur of tea and gin and loves language, especially creative profanity. When she’s not begging her characters to behave or reading fan fiction, you can find Ryley at: https://ryleybanks.com/ and everywhere at: https://linktr.ee/ryleybanks

Enjoy getting to know Ryley? Then you’ll love her monthly VIP newsletter! Sign up for access to free books, giveaways, sales, and exclusive member extras! https://ryleybanks.com/ryleys-vip-newsletter/

Contest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UPDATE: The winner is…Denise Z!
*~*~*

I suspect most of us have pets, right? For those who know me well, I have a Border Collie (Maggie) who’ll be twelve in May and a Parti Yorkie (Henry) who is about 18 months old. So, I know and love dogs.

A few months back, I was asked to participate in a rescue dog anthology, and I thought, “How fun!” Each of the ten participating authors is contributing a new, original book to the collection. These books aren’t linked except by the fact each of them has a rescued dog as a character.

My book is Hot Assets. It’s the story of how my heroine (Andrea Carmichael) agrees to dog-sit her neighbor’s dog while the neighbor is in the hospital, only to have someone kidnap the dog! Why would anyone want to kidnap a rescued mutt dog? Andi has to enlist the help of the cop (Seth Noles) who lives across the street to find the dog and get to the bottom of the mystery. As the mystery heats up, so does Andi and Seth’s relationship.

Now, before I get to the excerpt, this collection is on a PREORDER SPECIAL PRICE OF ONLY $0.99!! The price will go up to $3.99 after release.

Also, the royalties from sales on May 17 and 18 will be donated to a Florida Rescue Animal Organization.

Here is an UNEDITED snippet of the opening…

I sat up, unsure what woke me. Darkness swaddled me, my bedroom so quiet I heard my heartbeat in my ears. Grabbing my cellphone, I checked the time. Two a.m. Then, before I could replace the phone on the bedside table and settle back down for three more hours, the blasted thing began to ring. I sighed. Everyone knows only bad news comes at this hour.

When I look at the screen, I see I’ve missed a previous call, mostly likely what jarred me awake originally. My elderly next door neighbor’s name is flashing on my screen.

“Lillian,” I croaked into the phone. “What’s wrong?”

“I fell and I can’t move.” Her voice is reedy and thin, barely audible. “Help me.”

“Of course,” I said as I slid from my warm sheets. “I’ll be right there.”

I slipped on the jeans and the long-sleeve T-shirt I’d been wearing before bed, unconcerned that the shirt bore a definite stain of spaghetti sauce from last night’s dinner. In the foyer, I thrust my feet into shoes and grabbed Lillian’s housekey from the drawer in my entry hall table. Until recently, Lillian Branson had been a healthy, active senior citizen. She’d given me her housekey so I could water her plants when she was one of her trips, as she’d been last month. She’d returned ten days ago with what she called a bad cold, insisting she didn’t need to see a doctor.

Now, as I rushed out of my house and across our lawns, I feel guilty that I hadn’t pushed her harder. Shoot, my sister’s an ER doctor. I could have—should have—asked Brooke to drop by and take a look at Lillian. That probably would have made Lillian mad, but her only family is a grandson whom I’ve never seen or met in the three years we’ve been neighbors.

I let myself in and deactivate the house alarm. “Lillian?” I called out.

“In here,” she said, followed by a bark from Baxter, her mixed-breed rescue dog. Baxter, who weighed about eight pounds, but believed himself to be closer to eighty pounds, was always at Lillian’s side. Baxter traveled everywhere with Lillian. If Baxter wasn’t invited, Lillian wasn’t going.

I followed the faint voice to the kitchen where I found Lillian sprawled on the floor, a small gash dripping fresh blood down the side of her head. Baxter’s head rested on Lillian’s chest. When I knelt beside her, Baxter’s head lifted.

“What happened?”

“Oh, I feel like such a ninny. I was coughing and came downstairs to get a glass of water. I fell as I was reaching for a glass.”

I could hear my sister in my head warning me to not try to get Lillian up. “You have a small cut on your head. Let me grab a towel for the blood.”

I stood and as I looked for a clean kitchen towel, I noticed the dirty plates and glasses in the sink. Lillian hated dirt and disorder, so dinner dishes in the sink was out of character. I found a clean cloth and rejoined Lillian on her floor. “Here.” I pressed the material to her head. “Where else do you hurt?”

“My left hip. That’s where I landed.” She clucked her tongue. “I’m so clumsy.”

“Is someone else here?” I asked as I pressed on her hip.

She groaned from my touch and her gaze shifted away. “No. I’m here by myself. That’s why I can to call you.” Tears gathered in her eyes.

I knew she was lying to me. I just didn’t know why.

“Yeah, I don’t think I can get you up. My money’s on either a dislocation or broken hip.” I squeezed her shoulder in sympathy. “Sorry, Lillian, I have to call an ambulance.” I expected an argument. Lillian is one of the most independent women I know, and when I only got a head nod in answer, I knew I’d made the right decision.

I called 9-1-1 and explained the situation. Once I knew help was coming, I helped into a sitting position and joined her on the hardwood floor. 

“Well, this is a fine mess you’ve gotten us in to,” I said in my best Laurel and Hardy imitation.

She chuckled with a grimace. “I know.”

I heard heavy footfalls in the entry way, which surprised me as I hadn’t heard an ambulance siren. Plus, unless the ambulance had been one block away, there hadn’t been enough time for one to get here.

A man I did not know stepped into the kitchen as I realized that in my haste to get to Lillian, I’d left the front door open. Panic seized my throat and my breath.

I live in a Dallas historical area comprised of craftsman homes, many over a hundred years old. Lillian and I both live in refurbished homes in this classic neighborhood. While many of the houses have gotten the renovation necessary to bring back their stately beauty, others remain in poor conditions with the owners lacking the funding to do the required upkeep. Inside our neighborhood enclave, we feel secure. However, outside our immediate area, crime rates are higher than the average in other Dallas neighborhoods. Was the scruffy-looking man one of crime elements I needed to be worried about?

The stranger in Lillian kitchen was tall and broad-shouldered. His chestnut-colored hair was disheveled, as though he’d run his fingers through it recently. A heavy scruff covered his cheeks and circle a pair of thick lips that were pulled into a tight line.

“Get out,” I ordered in my best don’t-fuck-with-me voice and pointed toward the direction he’d just arrived. I might have been anxious about the stranger, but Baxter wasn’t. He greeted the man with a wiggly tail and excited yips, but of course, Baxter loved everyone.

He ignored me and continued to advance toward Lillian and me. My gaze flew around the kitchen for a weapon of any type, but honestly, our seated positions on the floor left us vulnerable.

PREORDER your copy TODAY at the LOW-LOW rate of $0.99!
Go to https://books2read.com/Rescued-Dog-Anthology  to order today!

Contest

OF COURSE, I have a giveaway!!

I’ll pick one person to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card, so leave a comment to be in the running!

I’m thrilled to be on Delilah’s blog today. I loved working with her on the latest Boys Behaving Badly anthology – COWBOYS. Writing my story, THE SCOUNDREL, reawakened my love of writing short stories, and I plan to continue writing short as well as the full novels I write for Entangled Publishing, and the series I self-publish.

Early in my career, I wrote a lot of erotic romances. It was ground-breaking back then (God, I feel so old!) and this was long before Fifty Shades. I’m not kidding when I say discovering erotic romance changed my life. I grew up a “good” girl in a rural area. Before the internet, before erotic romance, I didn’t know other women had sexual fantasies. I didn’t know it was okay to fantasize about blindfolds and handcuffs, or of being scared and aroused at the same time, or that pain and pleasure could be two sides of the same coin. I didn’t know it was okay to dream about sexual situations I’d never want to find myself in. Or that it was okay to dream about some I might want to.

I’m sure as Delilah’s readers, you know all about erotic romance and sexual fantasies, and it’s probably hard to imagine there was a time when you had to get your kicks from magazines like Playboy and Playgirl (and you had to gather enough courage to go up to the man at the register and ask for copies that were kept behind the counter) or maybe you could find erotica books like The Story of O or Anne Rice’s Beauty series, but I never read them until I could get them over the internet. But once I could buy an eBook in the privacy of my own home, it was a revelation. Suddenly, I wasn’t ashamed to explore my fictional fantasies, and I felt free to act on some of them, and I could even begin to write my own (believe it or not, it was a struggle for me to even type words like “cock” and “pussy” when I first started.)

I didn’t intend this post to be a history lesson, but just to explain that I will forever be grateful for the authors of erotic romance, and while I don’t focus my writing exclusively in that direction anymore, I will never stop writing it, never stop sharing my fantasies for other women to enjoy. And that is a long, and hopefully thought-provoking lead-in, to my newest release, one of 69 erotic shorts included in Cleis Press’s The Big Book of Orgasms, Volume 2, releasing on February 8^th, and available for pre-order now.

Publisher’s Weekly said “… 69 bite-size stories ideal for a quick, sensual break. Myriad settings—including alien planets, bathrooms, and sex parties—genres, kinks, and sexualities offer a little something for every erotica lover. Standouts include Natasha Moore’s “A Perfect Match,” about a husband who likes to watch his wife with her lover…” My first PW mention! And tons of sexual fantasies to explore.

Contest

Thanks to Delilah for inviting me to share with you today. I’m giving away one digital copy of one of my earlier erotic romance series, Paolo’s Playhouse. Five novellas in one collection that let readers explore several different fantasies.

Comment below for a chance at the giveaway. I’d love to know if you think erotic romance is getting commonplace now. Are readers tiring of it? Do you get enough of the sexy stuff in your other reading? Or do you still look for those stories that focus on sexual fantasies and, through them, give women freedom and power?

Natasha M.

Mailing list sign-up  https://eepurl.com/cGZI11
Website https://www.natashamoore.com
Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/natashamooreauthor/
Twitter page  https://twitter.com/natashamoore
Amazon page – https://www.amazon.com/Natasha-Moore/e/B004HX3QEI/
Pinterest page  https://www.pinterest.com/natashamoore144/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/natashamoore146/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/natasha-moore

UPDATE: The winner is…Deb Brown!
*~*~*

Before we start the fun…

After all the prep we did getting ready for the Ice-pocalypse, we only lost power for about forty minutes yesterday. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with being over-prepared, and we did grill those hotdogs over the gas grill. So, we had some fun with it. I know a lot of people weren’t as fortunate, and I hope you aren’t freezing in the cold, but the Devlin house was spared.

Just thought I’d let you know. 🙂

Anyways, today’s contest involves a little effort. Very little effort, really.

Take a good look at the picture. Imagine what his story might be. And tell that story. In a line or a paragraph. Doesn’t have to be long or good. Just have fun. I’ll use a random number generator to choose a winner who’ll get a $5 Amazon gift card!

This picture says it all. It’s what our cars outside look like. The same can be said for our driveway, our roof—the trees look amazingly beautiful, but we’re starting to hear those cracks and crashes as limbs weighted down with ice begin to break!

I live in South-ish Central Arkansas. For days, forecasters have been warning us about a cold front that would dump ice-sleet-snow on our region and that there would be power outages across the state. Already 14,000 are without power in this region.

Well, the rains started last night. Early this a.m., the temps were at 32 degrees, and that’s the high for the day. Already, we’re below freezing, and it’s supposed to wind up in the teens before the end of the day. Some of y’all who live up north think that’s not a big deal. But here, where we’re not winter-hardened, it’s an ice-pocalypse! My daughter and I drew up a plan early yesterday to get ready, which included:

1. Buy propane for the outside grill
2. Buy food which doesn’t need refrigeration (Of course, that included lots of snacks!)
3. Buy paper plates and cups (Who wants dirty dishes to pile up on the counter?!)
4. Buy straw for the goat’s hut
5. Buy extra horse and goat feed
6. Board up the window in the barn so the horse will stay warm in the lean-to
7. Pre-position the generator and purchase gas to run it (that will power only our refrigerator and our cellphone chargers!)
8. Run pool so the pipes and the pool water don’t freeze
9. Gather all flashlights and lanterns and make sure they don’t need batteries.

Check, check, check, the effing-check… We’re ready.

My dd and I were up early this morning because power was still on, so the priority was COFFEE.

The power flickered off around an hour ago. We saw power company trucks drive by, half an hour later, the power is back on. We made more coffee.

We expect power to go off and stay off sometime today because conditions are expected to worsen.

So, I’m typing this as fast as I can—while I still can!

Y’all stay safe! Stay warm. Know what you have to do in case of an emergency! We’ll be roasting weanies over the firepit or the gas grill. We’re all good. Love you! ~DD

Do you love military heroes? So do we. 

Cupid Wore Dog Tags is the result of a brainstorming project to write anthologies about military members by veterans and spouses. 

The first book we released is out now. https://books2read.com/cupidworedogtags

February is right around the corner, so Valentine’s Day is on my mind. Maybe it is on your mind, too. 

Here are 10 gifts to give your valentine that may or may not cost a lot depending on how you decide to execute this plan:

1. Provide a meal. This could be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but taking the burden of cooking off of someone’s plate when they normally do the cooking is an amazing gift and gesture. 
2. Household Chore. Whatever chore your significant other, parent, child, whoever you are showing they are special this holiday, hates the most. Do that chore for them on this day or the day before. You really want to rock? Do this chore for a week! 
3. Snacks. That’s right, get a gathering of this person’s favorite snacks together and present it to them. Let’s them know you know them well enough to get those and they have them on hand. The key to this gift is not eating your Valentine’s gift no matter how tempting that box of thin mints are! 
4. Bake Something. A cake, pie, cupcakes, brownies, etc. are not a meal and not a snack. Desserts are special and when you fancy them up it makes them extra special, so take the time and bake something. 
5. Make Something. It’s not all food on this list. LOL. You know how people pull out ornaments and finger paintings from when you were a kid? Well, you could pull out the crafting supplies and make something. If for your significant other, make two somethings. One for them to display and one that no one but the two of you should ever see. 
6. Journal. A gender-neutral gift that aims to please when you write a nice note on the inside of it so they remember who gave them the gift and when. I give journals as gifts frequently. 
7. Books. eBooks, audiobooks, paperback books, hard cover books, doesn’t matter. Find some books in their favorite genre or by their favorite authors and gift it to them.
8. Sleep. Whether it is an extra hour in the morning or night, a nap in the afternoon, the gift of sleep matters! 
9. Music. Make a playlist. It’s a throwback to the 80s but now you don’t need a cassette player and the radio station to finally play that song for you. 
10. Time to do whatever they want. An hour to read undisturbed, family movie night without cellphones, whatever it is, gifting someone time with you, with friends, with family, or with themselves is never time wasted and always a great gift. 

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you will check out Cupid Wore Dog Tags and you can find more by me at www.creativewritingwithdrnagle.com 

Tonya Nagle, PhD
Educator, Author, Podcaster, Editor
Veteran Owned and Operated
Website: www.creativewritingwithdrnagle.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TonyaNaglePhD/
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Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyanaglephd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyaNagle

I am, which is why I became a canine handler for search and rescue. Is it my day job? No. It’s actually all volunteer. But I love what I do and I love working with my dogs. So much in fact that I even decided to write a romance novel involving k-9 search and rescue.

Jager is my first SAR dog. He is also a rescue from a local shelter. This dog taught me so much. Not just about training but also about myself, and how to handle myself. Lessons that I even apply to my author life. Like having a Positive Mental Attitude. One of the biggest components that can actually affect survival rates.

My second dog, Drogon, is from a breeder and his specialty is human remains. Talk about working dog blood lines, I don’t think this dog ever sleeps. And he never gets tired. This boy is the one I have to watch to keep him from working himself to death. But boy is he methodical. Like he would make an EXCELLENT copywriter/proofreader.

Bringing these two into my book, Called Into Action, was a lot of fun. I wanted to make the story more authentic to what SAR actually is, something that I always found upsetting when reading SAR novels in the past. Of course, because both of my dogs have interesting stories, I blended them together into a dog named Havoc (no joke, both my dogs cause tons of havoc inside my house and Havoc’s antics are taken from real-life incidents).

Speaking of real-life incidents that I pulled from, Jager used to be a jump alert dog, which means when he found his person, he would run back to me and jump on me as an alert. Imagine a 60 lb. pitbull tank running full speed and leaping into the air. Yup, you got it. Clipped by knees and down I went. Face first. Thank God, this was during training. His alert is different now to say the least.

These two dogs, and all the dogs I have worked with on calls and during trainings, are so inspiring. They love what they do, and they do it for their toy or food reward. That is their payday. I hope these dogs continue to inspire people, continue to show people not to discount shelter dogs, and to let people know there is hope out there.

By the way, did you know SAR teams always need volunteer hiders to help train their dogs? If that sounds interesting, reach out to your local SAR team and offer to hide for a dog. Always tons of fun.

Excerpt from Called Into Action…

Jay glanced sideways at the dog as the truck bounced over the gravel road. His markings were beautiful, and if it was possible, the damned thing had soulful eyes full of blame Jay couldn’t bear to look at. “Face the front.”

If the dog would have howled or yipped in reply, Jay would have been impressed. As it was, Havoc only drooled in response. On the seat. Of his personal truck. Jay winced and sighed. Cleaning the car was one more thing to add to his day. His mood matched the impending rainstorm about to break overhead. It had been a long time since he’d had a canine companion. A companion of any kind, if he was honest.

For a minute today, when he’d first put his arms around Penelope, he’d felt something. A shock. A vibration. A tingling, at least. It had been a while. Too long since he’d had such close contact with another woman. Try as he might, he couldn’t help but notice the way she molded into him. Like God had created her just for him.

He rolled his eyes at such romantic notions.

Okay, maybe he needed a night out. Some female attention. He went through his mental contact list and came up bone dry. There was a joke in there somewhere, but after the day he’d had, he didn’t have the heart to look for it.

“Dick move to put your owner in jail. On the bright side, you’re not going to have to put up with me much longer.” The German Shepherd looked at Jay before dropping to his belly, head laying on Jay’s lap. He gave Havoc a rub between his ears, running his fingers through the dog’s well-groomed coat. Penelope took care of the dog. A couple of shed strands floated in the air in front of him. Remarkably, Havoc didn’t smell much like smoke, but more the clean fresh scent of some shampoo. He was one of the most beautiful creatures Jay had ever seen with his exquisite markings—reddish brown and black and tan that blended to create stunning fur.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Called-into-Action-Paris-Wynters-ebook/dp/B08L827SQM
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/called-into-action-paris-wynters/1139906354
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/called-into-action/id1535950909
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Paris_Wynters_Called_into_Action?id=sUkDEAAAQBAJ